Material tracking system and method

ABSTRACT

A material tracking system is provided for tracking material stored on and drawn from a reel. The material tracking system may include a reel, detection element, digital logic components, battery and power components, transceiver and communication components, location receiver, enclosure, analytic component and interface component. One or more sensors relative to the reel may detect a position indicative of forward or reverse reel rotation. A processor may analyze signals to count rotations of the reel, which is savable in memory. A battery may provide power. The system may also record the time and location associated with rotations. A method to operate a tracking material stored on and drawn from a reel using the material tracking system is also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority from, U.S. nonprovisional patentapplication Ser. No. 14/810,236 filed Jul. 27, 2015, U.S. provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 62/029,934 filed Jul. 28, 2014, and U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/115,486 filed Feb. 12, 2015.The foregoing applications are incorporated in their entirety herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to a material tracking system. Moreparticularly, the disclosure relates to tracking material stored on anddrawn from a reel.

BACKGROUND

Many materials used in construction or the fabrication of products(e.g., wire, cable, tubing, yarn, rope, etc.) are sold from themanufacturer on reels. Distributing materials on reels allows users(e.g., installers, contractors, manufacturers, etc.) to easily obtain adesired amount of the material for a job or task and enables easierstorage and materials control. A single reel of material is often usedfor multiple jobs. Many users manually track the usage of material froma reel while completing jobs. Some types of materials include a visuallegend that is printed on the material at given intervals. Tracking theusage of material on reels is often necessary for inventory management,billing and project planning. Manually tracking the usage of materialfrom a reel requires a significant amount of time and expense andnecessitates a system for recording material use. In addition, manualtracking is subject to significant inaccuracies caused by human error.These inaccuracies contribute to waste and increase project cost.

A variety of material tracking systems have been previously developedfor materials that are distributed from a reel. Some are generally ofthe type that attaches directly to the material, independent of the reeland tracks the movement of the line as it feeds from its container.Taymer International, Inc. (Markham, Ontario, CA) is one example of adistributer of measuring devices that are directly attached to thematerial being distributed. These devices are typically only used in themanufacture of cable because they use a system of complex rollers tomeasure the material as it is spooled out, which makes this solutionexpensive and prone to potential errors. This technical approach alsorequires recalibration of the devices for different material diameter.

Other material tracking systems are used in reel to reel audio tapemonitoring, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,824 to Kaniwa, et al.These systems combine reel to reel tape speed measurements with windingradius calculations to control tape feed through a complex series ofmeasuring devices that are integrated with the machine that reads thetape. The system requires complex sensors on both reels along withcalculations that feed back into the controlling device and requirecomplex manufacturing and assembly. They are permanent components of themachinery and are not used to track inventory. In this system, thedevice uses a ratio between the tension of the tape and the torqueoutput of the reel motors to calculate the radius of an empty take-upspool and then ultimately by tracking the tape fed calculations may bemade to ultimately determine the radius of the working radius of thesupply spool and the length of the fed tape.

Measurement of wire bonding loops is done in semiconductor fabricationas electronic wire is attached to various components as exemplified inU.S. Pat. No. 8,301,841 to Qin. These systems simply calibrate wirepayout based on the timing of a payout mechanism and are not used tomeasure remaining length. They do not measure rotational variables froma spool, reel or other wire container.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,044 to Graber et al shows a device for storing anddetecting the end of a wire as it is unspooled. The device uses the fewwraps of wire closest to the drum to block the magnetic lines of fluxfrom reaching the magnetic sensor mounted outside of the spool. As thelast few wraps of wire no longer block the magnetic flux the sensor willmomentarily pick up that flux once per rotation. If the sensor is hookedto an output source (e.g. Light, siren etc.) the output source willenergize once per rotation informing the user that the wire is about torun out. Among other potential shortcomings, this device does notprovide any advanced warning that the wire will be running out, letalone, provide any inventory management capabilities.

In the fishing gear industry, attempts have been made to developsensor-based systems to track the amount of fishing line let out from afishing reel. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,492 to Takashi providesfor magnet-based sensor system for measuring and providing the length offishing line paid out or reeled in. This unitary system teachesone-to-one correspondence between sensor sub-system, processor, anddisplay. As such, among other potential shortcomings, the approachdisclosed by the '492 Takashi patent is too expensive for use insimultaneously tracking multiple reels of material.

Therefore, a need exists to solve the deficiencies present in the priorart. What is needed is a system for tracking the remaining length of amaterial wound on a reel. What is needed is a system with a detectioncomponent to track and relay the length of material on a reel or spool.What is needed is a tracking system to accurately determine materialpaid out from a reel. What is needed is a system to aid in selection ofa reel for a deployment job. What is needed is a system to centralizeinformation relating to material on various reels. What is needed is amethod of tracking material stored on and paid out from one or morereel. What is needed is a method of sensing use characteristics of areel of material.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the disclosure advantageously provides a system fortracking the remaining length of a material wound on a reel. An aspectof the disclosure advantageously provides a system with a detectioncomponent to track and relay the length of material on a reel or spool.An aspect of the disclosure advantageously provides a tracking system toaccurately determine material paid out from a reel. An aspect of thedisclosure advantageously provides a system to aid in selection of areel for a deployment job. An aspect of the disclosure advantageouslyprovides a system to centralize information relating to material onvarious reels. An aspect of the disclosure advantageously provides amethod of tracking material stored on and paid out from one or morereel. An aspect of the disclosure advantageously provides a method ofsensing use characteristics of a reel of material.

Accordingly, the disclosure may feature a system for tracking a lengthof a material wound on a reel. The material may have a known startinglength and a known thickness. The reel may have a reel core of knownwidth and known volume. The reel may further have reel flangesphysically connected to the reel at opposite ends of the reel core suchthat the reel flanges rotate with the reel core. The material may bewound about the reel core between the reel flanges. The system mayinclude a sensor, first processor, memory, first battery, firsttransceiver, and optionally a calculator. The sensor may be physicallyattached to the reel to produce a signal indicative of one of forwardand reverse rotation of the reel. The first processor may operablyreceive the signal from the sensor and counting a total number offorward rotations of the reel. The memory may operably associate withthe first processor for storing the total number of forward rotations ofthe reel. The first battery may power the processor, the memory, and thesensor. The first transceiver may be operably coupled to the memory.Remaining length of the material wound on the reel may be calculatedbased on at least the total number of forward rotations of the reel, forexample, via a calculator.

In another aspect, the first transceiver may include a radio frequencytransmitter. A calculator may be operably coupled to the firsttransceiver via a wireless link.

In another aspect, the memory may store a unique identification number.The system may further include a global memory operably coupled to thefirst transceiver for storing the unique identification number and aremaining length of the material wound on the reel associated with theunique identification number.

In another aspect, the system may further include a clock coupled to thememory that outputs time values. The memory may store over time one ormore of total number of forward rotations of the reel each with anassociated time value.

In another aspect, the global memory may further store one or more ofrecords comprising a respective one of the total number of forwardrotations of the reel and the associated time value associated with theunique identification number.

In another aspect, the system may include a location receiver thatoutputs a current geographic position. The memory may store the currentgeographic position associated with each of the total number of forwardrotations of the reel stored in the memory.

In another aspect, each record in the records associated with the uniqueidentification number further may contain the geographic positionassociated with the respective one of the total number of forwardrotations of the reel.

In another aspect, the sensors, first processor, clock, locationreceiver, and memory may be disposed in association with a singlecircuit board.

In another aspect, the system may include a location receiver thatoutputs a current geographic position. The memory may store one or moreof total number of forward rotations of the reel each with an associatedgeographic position.

In another aspect, the system may include a global memory. The globalmemory may store one or more of the records associated with the uniqueidentification number, each of the records containing a respective oneof the of total number of forward rotations of the reel and theassociated geographic position.

In another aspect, the sensors, first processor, and memory may bedisposed in association with a single circuit board.

In another aspect, the sensor may read angular orientation.

In another aspect, the rotations of the reel may be determined using achange in the angular orientation read by the sensor.

In another aspect, the angular orientation read by the sensor may bealterable by applying a correction factor.

In another aspect, the correction factor may be determinable byanalyzing feedback.

In another aspect, the sensor may comprise an accelerometer.

In an embodiment of this disclosure, a method may be provided for aboutcontinuously tracking a length of a material wound on a reel. Thematerial may have a known starting length and a known thickness. Thereel may have a reel core of known width and known volume. The reel mayfurther have reel flanges physically connected to the reel at oppositeends of the reel core such that the reel flanges rotate with the reelcore. The material may be wound about the reel core between the reelflanges. The method may include mounting a sensor comprising anaccelerometer to the reel. The method may additionally include operablyassociating the reel with a battery-powered system that measures forwardand backward rotation of the reel by sensing an angular orientation ofthe sensor and stores associated rotation data. The method may furtherinclude removably connecting a transceiver to the battery-poweredsub-system. The method may also include calculating a remaining lengthof the material wound on the reel based on a total number of rotationsof the reel, for example, via a calculator.

In another aspect, the battery-powered sub-system may further store aunique identification number. The method may further include uploadingthe unique identification number; and storing the unique identificationnumber and the remaining length of the material wound on the reelassociated with the unique identification number in a global memory.

In another aspect, the battery-powered sub-system may further include alocation receiver. The method may further include uploading a recordedtotal number of forward rotations of the reel with a geographic locationassociated therewith; and storing a recorded total number—geographiclocation pair in the global memory in association with the uniqueidentification number.

In another aspect, the method may further include uploading an aboutreal time value associated with the recorded total number of forwardrotations of the reel; and storing the about real time value with itsassociated recorded total number of forward rotations of the reel inassociation with the unique identification number.

Terms and expressions used throughout this disclosure are to beinterpreted broadly. Terms are intended to be understood respective tothe definitions provided by this specification. Technical dictionariesand common meanings understood within the applicable art are intended tosupplement these definitions. In instances where no suitable definitioncan be determined from the specification or technical dictionaries, suchterms should be understood according to their plain and common meaning.However, any definitions provided by the specification will govern aboveall other sources.

Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages described by thisdisclosure will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numeralsrepresent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram view of a material tracking system, accordingto an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a reel in association with abattery-powered measurement sub-system that measures reel rotation andstores associated data, according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic detail view of a portion of a flange ofa reel showing one embodiment of the placement of a detection element,according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of a first side of afirst PCB of the material tracking system, according to an embodiment ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of a second side ofthe first PCB of the material tracking system, according to anembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of an alternative embodiment of a firstside of a first PCB of the material tracking system, according to anembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of an alternative embodiment of asecond side of a first PCB of the material tracking system, according toan embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of a first side of asecond PCB of the material tracking system, according to an embodimentof this disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of a second side of asecond PCB of the material tracking system, according to an embodimentof this disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of an alternate embodiment of a firstside of a second PCB of the material tracking system, according to anembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of an alternate embodiment of a firstside of a second PCB of the material tracking system, according to anembodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a diagram view of a reel box containing a reel andmeasurement sub-system, according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a reel in association with ameasurement sub-system including an accelerometer in a first position,according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a reel in association with ameasurement sub-system including an accelerometer in a second position,according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram view of a computerized device upon whichaspects of this disclosure may be operated, according to an embodimentof this disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart view of an illustrative operation of a materialsensing operation, according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure is provided to describe various embodiments ofa material tracking system. Skilled artisans will appreciate additionalembodiments and uses of the present invention that extend beyond theexamples of this disclosure. Terms included by any claim are to beinterpreted as defined within this disclosure. Singular forms should beread to contemplate and disclose plural alternatives. Similarly, pluralforms should be read to contemplate and disclose singular alternatives.Conjunctions should be read as inclusive except where stated otherwise.

Expressions such as “at least one of A, B, and C” should be read topermit any of A, B, or C singularly or in combination with the remainingelements. Additionally, such groups may include multiple instances ofone or more element in that group, which may be included with otherelements of the group. All numbers, measurements, and values are givenas approximations unless expressly stated otherwise.

Various aspects of the present disclosure will now be described indetail, without limitation. In the following disclosure, a materialtracking system will be discussed. Those of skill in the art willappreciate alternative labeling of the material tracking system as aspool measuring device, reel sensing and measuring apparatus, payoutsensor and calculator, material inventory tracking and managementplatform, material management system, the invention, or other similarnames. Similarly, those of skill in the art will appreciate alternativelabeling of the material tracking system as a material payout sensingoperation, reel tracking method, payout monitoring and managementoperation, payout data analytic and inventory management technique,method, operation, the invention, or other similar names. Skilledreaders should not view the inclusion of any alternative labels aslimiting in any way.

Also, terminology used throughout this disclosure is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising” or “having” and variations are inclusive setsand may include additional items. The terms “mounted,” “connected” and“coupled” are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirectmounting, connecting and coupling. Furthermore, “connected” and“coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections orcouplings, and can include electrical connections or couplings, whetherdirect or indirect. The term “set” is used broadly to refer to one ormore. Also, electronic communications and notifications may be performedusing direct connections, wireless connections, and other connectionsthat will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. The use of theterm “reel” is used broadly and encompasses a cylinder, frame, or otherdevice that turns on an axis and is used to wind up or pay out amaterial and can include a spool, a bobbin, and/or a roller (which maycollectively be referred to as a “core”). The term “material” includes aproduct of any length having a thickness (e.g. width-depth or diameter)that can be wound onto a spool and distributed by unwinding the reel.Examples of materials include, but are not limited to, bare metal wire,metal wire that contains a covering, flexible pipe, rope, yarn, thread,fabric, metal cable, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, paper, tape,cellophane, plastic filament, 3D printing material, and the like.

It should also be noted that various hardware and software-baseddevices, as well as various structural components may be utilized toimplement the invention. Furthermore, and as described in subsequentparagraphs, the specific configurations illustrated in the drawings areprovided as examples and embodiments of the invention. Alternativeconfigurations are possible.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-16, the material tracking system will now bediscussed in more detail. The material tracking system may include amaterial, reel, detection element, digital logic components, battery andpower components, transceiver and communication components, locationreceiver, enclosure, analytic components including one or moreprocessor, interface component, and additional components that will bediscussed in greater detail below. The material tracking system mayoperate one or more of these components interactively with othercomponents to track material stored on and drawn from a reel.

An invention enabled by this disclosure relates to tracking the usage ofmaterials from a reel using a material tracking system. FIG. 1demonstrates a basic configuration of a material tracking system enabledby this disclosure. The system may include, among other components, afirst processor 10 that may contain an input/output (I/O) unit 12, amemory 14 (which may be integral to the first processor 10), and aprocessing unit (CPU) 16, at least one sensor 18, optionally a detectionelement 20, one or more power supply modules (e.g. a coin-type or LiPobattery cells) 22, one or more indicators 26, and one or morecommunications modules, including a first transceiver 28. The indicators26 may, for example, include one of more LEDs and/or a liquid crystaldisplay (“LCD”). In one implementation, the controller 10 may beassociated with a single printed circuit board (“PCB”) that is populatedwith one or more of electrical and electronic components that providepower, operational control, and protection to the material trackingsystem. The memory 14 may include, for example, a read-only memory(“ROM”), a random-access memory (“RAM”), an electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (“EEPROM”), or other flash memory. Memory14 may store information regarding the rotation of the reel. Forexample, the memory 14 may contain the total number of forward rotationsof the reel. In an embodiment including a real-time clock and/or alocation receiver, for example a GPS receiver, the memory may also savetime/date and/or locations in association with the reel rotational data.Finally, the memory may also store an identification number that isunique to the reel/material to allow a business to track the materialremaining on one or more of reels substantially simultaneously.

The controller or first processor 10 may be operably connected via firsttransceiver 28 to an external device (e.g., a computer, a smart phone, atablet), which may include a processing unit 16 and user interface 24(i.e. combinations of software and hardware that are operable to, amongother things, calculate the amount of material currently on a reel andactivate the one or more indicators 26 or communicate with the one ormore external devices). The processing unit 16 may be connected to amemory on the external device and may execute software that is capableof being stored in the RAM (e.g., during execution), the ROM (e.g., on agenerally permanent basis), or another non-transitory computer readablemedium such as another memory or a disc.

Software included in some embodiments of the material tracking systemmay be stored in the memory operably associated with the processingunit. The software may include, for example, firmware, one or moreapplications, program data, one or more program modules, and otherexecutable instructions. The processing unit may be configured toretrieve from memory and execute instructions related to the controlprocesses and methods described below, including for example, theinstructions for performing calculations necessary to determine thecurrent amount of material on the reel 30 (see FIG. 2).

The PCB may also include, among other components, one or more ofadditional passive and active components such as resistors, capacitors,inductors, integrated circuits, and amplifiers. These components may bearranged and connected to provide one or more of electrical functions tothe PCB including, among other things, filtering, signal conditioning,or voltage regulation. For descriptive purposes, the PCB and theelectrical components populated on the PCB are collectively referred toas the battery-powered measurement sub-system 100 (which may also beknown as the counting chip). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the PCBincludes means for affixing the sub-system 100 to a reel or a reel box.The means for affixing the system can be permanent or removable. In someembodiments, the PCB includes a cover or housing which is affixed to thePCB. The cover or housing can be permanent or, more preferably,removable. Where the reel or reel box is exposed to the elements, thehousing can be waterproof or can contain a gasket or seal to preventwater, dust or other contaminants from reaching the PCB circuitry.

The user interface 24 may be included to control the material trackingsystem. The user interface may be operably coupled to the firstprocessor 10 to receive or input, for example, physical parameters of agiven reel 30 and/or the material stored on the reel for use in trackingusage of the material. Although shown as being associated with asmartphone that uses soft keys, the user interface 24 may include anycombination of digital and analog input devices required to achieve adesired level of control for the system. For example, the user interface24 can be comprised of a computer having a display and input devices, atouch-screen display, one or more of knobs, dials, switches, buttons,faders, and/or the like.

The power supply module 22 may supply nominal voltages to the materialtracking system. The power supply module 22 may include one or morebatteries or battery packs, and more preferably by one or morerechargeable batteries or battery packs. The power supply modules 22 mayalso be configured to supply lower voltages to operate circuits andcomponents within the material tracking system.

The communication module 28 may send and/or receive signals to and/orfrom one or more separate communication modules. Signals may include,among other components, information, data, serial data, and datapackets. The communication module 28 may be coupled to one or moreseparate communication modules via wires, fiber, and/or wirelessly.Communication via wires and/or fiber can be virtually any appropriatenetwork topology known to those skilled in the art, such as Ethernet.Wireless communication can be any appropriate wireless network topologyknown to those skilled in the art, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zig-Bee,etc.

In some embodiments, the communications module 28 is configured toreceive an input. The input is, for example, a streaming input of datavalues, a data packet, a set of data, etc. The input includes, amongother information, an input identifier (e.g., identification number) fora reel, one or more of physical parameters for a reel (e.g., reel width,reel core volume, etc.), an input identifier (e.g., identificationnumber) for a type of material, data from a sensor 20, and one or moreof physical parameters for a type of material (e.g., material length,material outer diameter, etc.). After the input has been received, theinput may be transmitted or transferred to the processing unit 16. Inanother embodiment, at least some processing may be done locally on aprocessor locally and operatively connected to the sensor, withoutlimitation. In some embodiments, the processing unit is configured toretrieve, from the memory, one or more of parameters for a type ofmaterial based at least in part on a received input identifier for atype of material. In other embodiments, the processing unit isconfigured to retrieve, from memory, one or more of parameters for areel based at least in part on a received input identifier for a reel.

Now turning to FIG. 2, which shows a common configuration of a reel 30,according to an embodiment of this disclosure. In this embodiment, theend cap 34 can be removable or integrated permanently into the reel 30.The detection element 20 may be coupled to the reel 30 and can beremovable or permanently attached. In some embodiments, the detectionelement 20 is coupled to the outer edge of one of the flanges 38 of thereel 30. The battery-powered measurement sub-system 100 containing firstprocessor 10 and sensors 18 are attached to the end cap 34 and is placedin such a position to track the rotation of the detection element 20.

In FIG. 3, a close-up view of a flange 38 of a reel 30 is shown. Adetection element 20 is shown attached to the outer edge of the flange38.

When material is removed from or added to the reel, the reel rotates,which causes the detection element 20 to rotate. In this embodiment, thesensor 18 may transmit a signal each time it detects the proximity ofthe detection element 20 (e.g., every time the detection element 20passes the sensor 18). In some embodiments, the signals indicate thecurrent direction of rotation of the reel (e.g. clockwise,counter-clockwise). In one embodiment, sensors 18 are magnetic sensors.In alternate embodiments, sensor 18 may be a different type of sensorincluding, for example, a capacitive sensor, a laser sensor, an opticalsensor, an infrared sensor, a touch sensor, accelerometers, etc. In someembodiments, the material tracking system includes one or more ofsensors that are spaced apart. Each sensor 18 in the one or more sensorsmay transmit a signal when the detection element passes. In oneembodiment, the detection element 20 may be a type of magnet (e.g.,neodymium). In alternate embodiments, the detection element 20 is anytype of element appropriate for the type of sensor used in the system.

The first processor 10 may be configured to receive signals from thesensor(s) 18. Upon receiving the signals, the controller 10 maydetermine whether the reel 30 has rotated in a first direction (e.g.,clockwise) or in a second direction (e.g., counter-clockwise). In someembodiments, the first processor/controller 10 may receive a separatesignal from each sensor 18 in one or more of sensors and determine therotation direction of the reel 30 based on the order in which thesignals are received. For example, the controller 10 may determine thatthe reel 30 is rotating in a first direction when a signal from a firstsensor 18 a is received before a signal from a second sensor 18 b, andthe controller may determine that the reel 30 is rotating in a seconddirection when the signal from the second sensor 18 b is received beforethe signal from the first sensor 18 a.

The processing unit 16 may be configured to determine a new or updatedvalue for the amount (e.g., length) of material on the reel 30. In someembodiments, the controller 10 may determine the new amount of materialon the reel 30 using the following equations:

$\begin{matrix}{{x_{New} = {x_{CURRENT} - {2\pi \sqrt{\frac{\left( {\left( {{L*\pi*\left( \frac{d}{2} \right)^{2}} + n} \right)/w} \right)}{\pi}}}}},} & {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} 1} \\{x_{New} = {x_{CURRENT} + {2\pi {\sqrt{\frac{\left( {\left( {{L*\pi*\left( \frac{d}{2} \right)^{2}} + n} \right)/w} \right)}{\pi}}.}}}} & {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} 2}\end{matrix}$

Wherein:

L=starting length of the material on the reel in inches

d=diameter of the material on the reel in inches

n=volume of the core of the reel in cubic inches

w=width of the reel (i.e., distance between the flanges) in inches

xCURRENT=the current value for the length of the material on the reel ininches, and

xNEW=the new value for the length of the material on the reel in inches

In this embodiment, the processing unit 16 may use equation 1 when thereel 30 has rotated in the first direction (i.e., material has beenremoved from the reel 30). The processing unit 16 uses equation 2 whenthe reel 30 has rotated in the second direction (i.e., material has beenadded to the reel 30). Use of inches as the unit of measurement inEquations 1 and 2 are provided for exemplary purposes and any commonlyused length unit (e.g. feet, yards, meters, centimeters, etc.) or anyfraction thereof can be used, without limitation. In some embodiments,the above-described parameters of the reel 30 and material are retrievedfrom the memory. In other embodiments, the above-described parameters ofthe reel 30 and material are received via the communication module 28.

After calculating a new or updated value for the amount of material onthe reel 30, the processing unit may transmit an output. The output is,for example, a streaming output of data values, a data packet, a set ofdata, etc. The output can include, among other things, an identifier(e.g., identification number) of the reel 30, an identifier (e.g.,identification number) of the material, and/or the current value for theamount of material on the reel 30. This value can be, for example, inany commonly used linear measurement with inches being one embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of a first side 40 of a first PCB. In someembodiments, a first side 40 of the first PCB includes, among othercomponents, a first controller 10 and a pair of sensors 18. In someembodiments, the first controller 10, among other operations, receivessignals from the pair of sensors 18 as they track the detection element,transmits signals to a second controller of a second PCB, and performsthe material tracking operations described above.

In some embodiments, a second side 42 of the first PCB includes, amongother components, a power supply module 22 containing a pair ofbatteries 44 and a connector 46, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The connector46 can be any type of standard connector for a PCB, including solidpads, pins or holes. In one embodiment, solid pads are used as theconnector 46. In some embodiments, the first PCB is coupled to a secondPCB via the connector 46. In some embodiments, the first PCB is coupledto the end cap 34 during packaging of the material on the reel 30. Insome embodiments, the first PCB is disposable.

FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of a first side 50 of a second PCB. In someembodiments, a first side 50 of the second PCB includes, among othercomponents, a power supply module 22 and a connector 46. In someembodiments, the power supply module 22 is a rechargeable battery andthus requires a dedicated power connection 48 included with theconnector 46. In other embodiments, the battery may be permanent orfactory replaceable.

FIG. 7 shows a second side 60 of a second PCB. In some embodiments, thesecond side contains a second controller 10, a communication module 28and a connector 46. The connector 46 can be any type of standardconnector for a PCB, including solid pads, pins or holes. For exemplarypurposes, pins are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. A dedicated power connection48 for recharging the battery is included in the connector 46. In apreferred embodiment, the communication module 28 is a wirelesstransceiver (e.g. Bluetooth BTLE, Kirkland, Wash.). In some embodiments,the first PCB is coupled to a second PCB via the connector 46. In oneembodiment, the connector 46 of the second PCB may link directly to theconnector of the first PCB. In some embodiments, the connector 46 of thesecond PCB may link to the first PCB via wires. In some embodiments, thefirst PCB is coupled to the end cap 34 during packaging of the materialon the reel 30. In some embodiments, the second PCB (i.e. firsttransceiver 28) is removable and can be used on multiple first PCBs(i.e. battery-powered measurement sub-system 100). In some embodiments,the first PCB 100 may be disposable.

FIG. 8 shows an alternate embodiment of a first side 70 of a first PCB.In some embodiments, a first side 70 of the first PCB includes, amongother components, a power supply 22 and a connector 46. In someembodiments, the power supply module 22 is a pair of batteries 44. Inthis example, the connector 46 comprises one or more of holes for pinconnections. In one embodiment the PCB has a series of openings 72 toaffix the PCB to an end cap. Standard affixing means such as screws,nails or the like can be used in the openings 72 to secure the PCB ontothe end cap.

FIG. 9 shows an alternate embodiment of a second side 80 of a first PCB.In some embodiments, the second side 80 of the first PCB includes, amongother components, a first controller 10, a pair of sensors 18 and aconnector 46. The connector 46 can be any type of standard connector fora PCB, including solid pads, holes or pins. In this embodiment, theconnector 46 comprises one or more of holes, among other components. Inone embodiment the PCB has a series of openings 72 to affix the PCB toan end cap. Standard affixing means such as screws or nails or the likecan be used in the openings 72 to secure the PCB onto the end cap.

FIG. 10 shows an alternate embodiment of a first side 90 of a secondPCB. This PCB may include, among other components, a user interface 24,an indicator 26, and a power supply module 22. In some embodiments, theuser interface 24 is an LCD screen which displays a number thatrepresents the current amount of material on the reel, in approximatelyreal time. In some embodiments, the user interface 24 displaysinformation about the nature of the material and the reel that has beeninput by a user from a mobile computing platform such as a smart phone,tablet, and/or computer. In some embodiments, the indicator 26 is an LEDwhich activates or deactivates based on the amount of material on thereel. For example, the LED activates when less than 10% of the originalamount of material is left on the reel. In some embodiments, the powersupply module 22 holds a battery (not shown).

FIG. 11 shows an alternate embodiment of a second side 100 of the secondPCB and includes, among other components, a second controller 10, aconnector 46, and a communication module 28. In a preferred embodiment,the communication module 28 is wireless (e.g. Bluetooth, BTLE, Kirkland,Wash.). In some embodiments, the second PCB is coupled to a first PCBvia the connector 46. In some embodiments, the second controller 10,among other operations, receives signals from the first controller of afirst PCB, performs the material tracking operations described above,operates the user interface 24 and indicators 26, and transmitsinformation to other components wirelessly via the communication module28. In some embodiments, the second PCB is removably affixed to a reelbox by a user after a reel is installed in the reel box. Means foraffixing the second PCB can include any common means such as screws,nails, hook and loop connectors, wire, etc. In some embodiments, thesecond PCB is reusable and is used with multiple first PCBs.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, in some embodiments, a second PCB 110 iscoupled to a reel box 112 that contains, among other components, a reel(not shown). In some embodiments, the second PCB 110 is coupled to thereel or reel box 112 during packaging of the material on the reel. In apreferred embodiment, the second PCB is removable from the reel box 112and is used with multiple first PCBs. In some embodiments, the secondPCB is disposable. An opening 114 for the material to be removed fromthe reel box 110 is shown. A slot 116 for the removable second PCB to beconnected to the first PCB (not shown) for up- and down-loading ofinformation is shown. The slot 116 is oriented with the reel box 112 sothat the connectors of the first PCB and second PCB 110 may align.

By way of example, according to an embodiment enabled by thisdisclosure, a first PCB containing magnetic sensors is affixed at adistance of 6 inches from the central axis of a first end cap that issized for a reel of wire (Cat 5 Plenum, Anixter, Glenview, Ill.). Thefirst and second end cap are placed on the reel. A magnetic detectionelement (#8 Screw Neodymium magnet, Applied Magnets, Plano, Tex.) isattached to a flange of the reel opposite from the first end cap. Thereel is placed in a reel box and shipped to a user. The user may programa second PCB with the input identifier by a laptop computer which sendsthe information wirelessly to the transceiver in the second PCB. Theuser then attaches the second PCB to the outside of the reel box. As theuser retrieves wire from the reel box, the reel rotates and the sensorsof the first PCB detect the rotation of the detection element. Thesensors send a signal to the second PCB with the number of rotationswhich can be a whole number or a fractional number. The sensor alsodetects, tracks and transmits reverse rotations as wire is replaced orunused wire is rewound. The second PCB may be loaded with software whichperforms the calculations as described above using either Equation 1 forforward rotation (use of wire) or Equation 2 for reverse rotation(respooling or reloading). The second PCB may then send a signalcontaining the current amount of wire to the laptop computer formaterial tracking purposes.

In an alternate example, a first PCB containing optical sensors isaffixed at a distance of 1 foot from the central axis of a first end capthat is sized for a reel of wire (18-02 OAS, Lake Cable 529 Thomas DriveBensenville, Ill.). The first and second end cap are placed on the reel.An optical detection element (Light to digital converter, AMS, StyriaAustria) is placed on a flange of the reel opposite from the first endcap. This is repeated for multiple reels of wire. The reels are shippedto a user. The user programs a second PCB with the input identifier ofeach reel with a smart phone. The smart phone sends the information to awireless transceiver in the first PCB. As the user retrieves wire fromthe reel box, the reel rotates and the sensors of the first PCB detectthe rotation of the detection element. The sensors send a signal to thesmart phone with the input identifier and the number of rotations whichcan be a whole number or a fractional number. The sensor also detects,tracks, and transmits reverse rotations as wire is replaced or unusedwire is rewound.

Now turning to FIGS. 13-14, and additional embodiment will be describedwithout limitation. FIGS. 13-14 show a common configuration of a reel 30with one or more attached sensors 18, for example, attached to flanges38. In this embodiment, an end cap can be removable or integratedpermanently into the reel 30. The sensor 18 may include an accelerometeror other device capable of detecting an angular orientation. The sensor18 may be operatively connected to a battery-powered sub-system 100,such as the version illustrated in FIG. 1. In one example, the sensor 18may be communicatively connected to the battery-powered sub-system 100wirelessly, without limitation. Since the position of the reel may bedetermined from the angular orientation of the sensor, this embodimentmay advantageously remove the need for separate detection elements 20 asdescribed along with other embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 13, the reel 30 illustrates the sensor 18installed to a reel flange 38. The sensor may indicate an angularorientation, which may represent a starting state for determination of anumber of rotations of the reel 30. As the reel 30 is rotated, thesensor may be repositioned along the X and/or Y axis in respect to a Zaxis about which the reel 30 may be rotated. In one embodiment, thesensor 18 may measure changes in angular orientation about a single X orY axis. In another embodiment, the sensor 18 may measure changes inangular orientation about both the X and Y axis substantiallysimultaneously, which may provide a vector value. As the reel 30 isrotated, for example, as material included by the reel 30 is paid out,the location of the sensor 18 will change, which will change the angularorientation of the sensor 18 with respect to the rotational Z axis ofthe reel 30. For example, an initial location of the sensor 18 may be alocation such as shown in FIG. 13 and the subsequent location of thesensor 18 may be a location such as shown in FIG. 14.

The frequency at which the sensor 18 may determine angular orientationmay be set for a given application, precision, and desired quantity ofdata produced. In one example, provided without limitation, anaccelerometer included in a sensor 18 may determine angular orientationat a rate of 40 Hz. Sensor data may be included in local storage and mayprocessed locally to determine rotations and total amounts paid out.This initial processing being performed locally may advantageouslyreduce the amount of data having to be transmitted from local memory toglobal memory. For example, local processing may reduce 40 Hz of sensedraw angular orientation data to 1 Hz of processed data indicative ofmaterial paid out, rotational direction, material remaining on the reel,and/or other information. This embodiment may additionally reduce theneed for a large local memory, for example and without limitation, toquantities around 4 megabytes, advantageously reducing the cost ofmaterials to produce a system enabled by this embodiment. Alternatively,the raw data read by the sensor 18 may be transmitted to global memoryfor remote processing and analytics.

Data may be communicated via a transceiver, for example, via WiFi, 4G,5G, cellular data, or networking protocols that would be appreciated bythose of skill in the art. In some embodiments, a gateway may beprovided to bridge communication protocols between a global network,such as an intranet and/or internet, and a local wireless networkbetween the gateway and the sensor 18.

In this embodiment, the sensor 18 may report its angular orientation fora given positional location, which may indicate a change from apreviously reported angular orientation. The change in angularorientation may be analyzed to determine a rate of change, direction ofchange, number of rotations, and other information relating to thewinding or paying out of material included by the reel 30. A locationreceiver may be included with the sensor to determine a geographicposition of the reel 30 to assist with determining whether material isbeing paid out or whether the reel is simply being rolled fortransportation or relocation. The location receiver may use GPS,cellular triangulation, MM waves, ultrawideband tracking, and otherlocation determining techniques to determine a location of a spool orreel. The reading of values from the sensor 18 may additionally beselectable between on and off states manually and/or dynamically from anoperator and/or controller.

By including an accelerometer in the sensor, this embodimentadvantageously removes the need for additional sensors to be included ina box housing the reel. The sensor may include features to assist withidentification, for example, RFID, near-field communication (NFC),Bluetooth, and/or other protocols that would be appreciated by those ofskill in the art. For example, the unique identification number may becommunicated via one or more of the above features to assist withidentification of a reel. Wireless data may be transmitted from thedevice including the sensor via a transceiver and/or radio, which mayinclude and/or interface with an antenna, for example, a PCB antenna,chip antenna, external antenna, and/or other antenna.

In an embodiment, a processing unit 16 on a smart phone (or otherportable computing device) may be loaded with an application whichperforms the calculations as described above using Equation 1 forforward rotation (use of wire), or Equation 2 for reverse rotation(respooling or reloading), and/or another equation. The smart phoneapplication may further provide a spreadsheet on the smart phone screencontaining the current amount of wire for each reel by using the uniqueidentification number stored in the memory associated with each reel.This information may then be uploaded at a preferred interval (e.g.per-second, per-minute, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly) to software on adesktop computer in the user's inventory control office.

The basic information regarding the amount of material, time/date,location, and/or other information obtained from the battery-poweredmeasurement sub-system 100 may be manipulated by the processing unit 16to determine a variety of potentially useful management metrics. Forexample, the data may easily be mathematically and logically organizedand reorganized to determine: (a) the date and time of each pull; (b)location of each pull; (c) accurate billing based on time and materialsactually expended at a specific job; (d) reducing overhead andminimizing wasted materials; and (e) maximize installer efficiency.Information may be sharable or saleable to distributors, manufacturers,and other parties to increase efficiencies and better anticipate marketdemands.

The processing of data may be adjusted to increase accuracy of thecalculations, which may be performed locally and/or over a networkedcomputing device. Feedback may be provided to the system regardingcalculated payout rates, actual material paid out, margins of error,conditions of the payout, and other factors to improve the accuracy ofthe system. Calculations may be manipulated through the introduction andalteration of correction factors. For the purpose of this disclosure, acorrection factor is intended to include constants, variables, scalarvalues, calibrations, formulae, and other mathematical operations tomanipulate the calculations performed on sensed data to determine usablevalues and information. For example, a correction factor may be appliedto account for the width of cable on a reel, whether the cable is asingle conductor, tightness of spooling, respooled material, and otherfactors.

The feedback may be substantially automatically calculated through useof the system, manually entered, dynamically learned, and/or otherwisereceived. In one embodiment, a machine learning approach may be used toadjust correction factors based on iterations between multipleoperations. For example, machine learning can be used to determine aproposed correction factor, check whether the correction factor improvedaccuracy of the calculation, and adjust the predictive weight of usingthe correction factor based on the results. The machine learningoperation may be initially based on a rule set. This iterative processcan be substantially continually repeated, allowing refinement of thecalculation accuracy. The feedback may additionally be used with a faulttree, which may use data science to learn and improve initialization forvarious operating conditions. Sensors may be associated with informationregarding material on a reel to further increase the likelihood ofchoosing proper correction factors and other variables associated withthe material to improve accuracy.

In particular, the system allows an installer, his supervisor, supplyordering clerks to see the length wire remaining in each box on site andat the office. For an installer on-site, the information meanssubstantially limiting wasted labor time guessing whether a spool willmake it to the end of the run; or risking a time exhausting repull. Onthe other hand, a supervisor would be able to see how many feet of cablehave been installed versus the amount of cable use projected for a givenjob.

In one embodiment, the interface and operations performed by theprocessor may be updatable. For example, electronic components relatingto the sensor and sub-system may be updated via firmware flashing,register editing, configuration files, over-the-air updates, securityupdates, and other manipulation of data that could affect operation. Thesensor and/or additional components may include one or more expansionports, which may provide additional functionality through supplementalhardware. Solder contacts may additionally be provided for theinstallation of hardware, for example, a radio or antenna.

Scrapping cable is leakage that most utilities and installers just dealwith right now because of the labor cost to sort it out. A tool andsystem enabled by this disclosure can advantageously and substantiallyseamlessly provide actionable inventory data that allows users to use alarge portion of their cable efficiently. In view of the functionalityof the present system, the remaining inventory after a job is completemay be put into ‘My Random Lengths Inventory’ these random lengths willbe easily searchable for use at future job sites.

Additionally, reels may be selected such that an amount remaining aftera job is a usable quantity that can be used on a future job. Trends maybe determined to assist with efficiently ordering cable and wirequantities most likely to be use substantially completely. For example,historic data on how much cable was pulled at which location on whichday may be used to assist in spotting trends related to issues with jobtypes or indicate which installers are most efficient.

The enclosure will now be discussed in greater detail. In oneembodiment, at least part of the sub-system 100 may be included in anenclosure. The enclosure may include seals, liners, and/or otherfeatures to minimize or prevent the introduction of moisture, dirt, anddust into an interior volume encompassed by the enclosure. The enclosuremay be made of various materials, including plastics, metals, wood, andother materials that will be appreciated by skilled artisans. Theenclosure may be configured such that it may be installed in asubstantially flush orientation with the reel and/or reel flange. Theenclosure may include an antenna operatively connectable to a radio ortransceiver. The sensor may include an expansion port, which may beaccessible by the enclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 15, an illustrative computerized device will bediscussed, without limitation. Various aspects and functions describedin accord with the present disclosure may be implemented as hardware orsoftware on one or more illustrative computerized devices 1500 or othercomputerized devices. There are many examples of illustrativecomputerized devices 1500 currently in use that may be suitable forimplementing various aspects of the present disclosure. Some examplesinclude, among others, network appliances, personal computers,workstations, mainframes, networked clients, servers, media servers,application servers, database servers and web servers. Other examples ofillustrative computerized devices 1500 may include mobile computingdevices, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, video game devices,personal digital assistants, network equipment, devices involved incommerce such as point of sale equipment and systems, such as handheldscanners, magnetic stripe readers, bar code scanners and theirassociated illustrative computerized device 1500, among others.Additionally, aspects in accord with the present disclosure may belocated on a single illustrative computerized device 1500 or may bedistributed among one or more illustrative computerized devices 1500connected to one or more communication networks.

For example, various aspects and functions may be distributed among oneor more illustrative computerized devices 1500 configured to provide aservice to one or more client computers, or to perform an overall taskas part of a distributed system. Additionally, aspects may be performedon a client-server or multi-tier system that includes componentsdistributed among one or more server systems that perform variousfunctions. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to executing on anyparticular system or group of systems. Further, aspects may beimplemented in software, hardware or firmware, or any combinationthereof. Thus, aspects in accord with the present disclosure may beimplemented within methods, acts, systems, system elements andcomponents using a variety of hardware and software configurations, andthe disclosure is not limited to any particular distributedarchitecture, network, or communication protocol.

FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of an illustrative computerized device1500, in which various aspects and functions in accord with the presentdisclosure may be practiced. The illustrative computerized device 1500may include one or more illustrative computerized devices 1500. Theillustrative computerized devices 1500 included by the illustrativecomputerized device may be interconnected by, and may exchange datathrough, a communication network 1508. Data may be communicated via theillustrative computerized device using a wireless and/or wired networkconnection.

Network 1508 may include any communication network through whichillustrative computerized devices 1500 may exchange data. To exchangedata via network 1508, systems and/or components of the illustrativecomputerized device 1500 and the network 1508 may use various methods,protocols and standards including, among others, Ethernet, Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, FTP, SNMP, SMS, MMS, SS7, JSON, XML, REST,SOAP, RMI, DCOM, and/or Web Services, without limitation. To ensure datatransfer is secure, the systems and/or modules of the illustrativecomputerized device 1500 may transmit data via the network 1508 using avariety of security measures including TSL, SSL, or VPN, among othersecurity techniques. The illustrative computerized device 1500 mayinclude any number of illustrative computerized devices 1500 and/orcomponents, which may be networked using virtually any medium andcommunication protocol or combination of protocols.

Various aspects and functions in accord with the present disclosure maybe implemented as specialized hardware or software executing in one ormore illustrative computerized devices 1500, including an illustrativecomputerized device 1500 shown in FIG. 15. As depicted, the illustrativecomputerized device 1500 may include a processor 1510, memory 1512, abus 1514 or other internal communication system, an input/output (I/O)interface 1516, a storage system 1518, and/or a network communicationdevice 1520. Additional devices 1522 may be selectively connected to thecomputerized device via the bus 1514. Processor 1510, which may includeone or more microprocessors or other types of controllers, can perform aseries of instructions that result in manipulated data. Processor 1510may be a commercially available processor such as an ARM, x86, IntelCore, Intel Pentium, Motorola PowerPC, SGI MIPS, Sun UltraSPARC, orHewlett-Packard PA-RISC processor, but may be any type of processor orcontroller as many other processors and controllers are available. Asshown, processor 1510 may be connected to other system elements,including a memory 1512, by bus 1514.

The illustrative computerized device 1500 may also include a networkcommunication device 1520. The network communication device 1520 mayreceive data from other components of the computerized device to becommunicated with servers 1532, databases 1534, smart phones 1536,and/or other computerized devices 1538 via a network 1508. Thecommunication of data may optionally be performed wirelessly. Morespecifically, without limitation, the network communication device 1520may communicate and relay information from one or more components of theillustrative computerized device 1500, or other devices and/orcomponents connected to the computerized device 1500, to additionalconnected devices 1532, 1534, 1536, and/or 1538. Connected devices areintended to include, without limitation, data servers, additionalcomputerized devices, mobile computing devices, smart phones, tabletcomputers, and other electronic devices that may communicate digitallywith another device. In one example, the illustrative computerizeddevice 1500 may be used as a server to analyze and communicate databetween connected devices.

The illustrative computerized device 1500 may communicate with one ormore connected devices via a communications network 1508. Thecomputerized device 1500 may communicate over the network 1508 by usingits network communication device 1520. More specifically, the networkcommunication device 1520 of the computerized device 1500 maycommunicate with the network communication devices or networkcontrollers of the connected devices. The network 1508 may be, forexample, the internet. As another example, the network 1508 may be aWLAN. However, skilled artisans will appreciate additional networks tobe included within the scope of this disclosure, such as intranets,local area networks, wide area networks, peer-to-peer networks, andvarious other network formats. Additionally, the illustrativecomputerized device 1500 and/or connected devices 1532, 1534, 1536,and/or 1538 may communicate over the network 1508 via a wired, wireless,or other connection, without limitation.

Memory 1512 may be used for storing programs and/or data duringoperation of the illustrative computerized device 1500. Thus, memory1512 may be a relatively high performance, volatile, random accessmemory such as a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) or static memory(SRAM). However, memory 1512 may include any device for storing data,such as a disk drive or other non-volatile storage device. Variousembodiments in accord with the present disclosure can organize memory1512 into particularized and, in some cases, unique structures toperform the aspects and functions of this disclosure.

Components of illustrative computerized device 1500 may be coupled by aninterconnection element such as bus 1514. Bus 1514 may include one ormore physical busses (for example, busses between components that areintegrated within a same machine) but may include any communicationcoupling between system elements including specialized or standardcomputing bus technologies such as USB, Thunderbolt, SATA, FireWire,IDE, SCSI, PCI and InfiniBand. Thus, bus 1514 may enable communications(for example, data and instructions) to be exchanged between systemcomponents of the illustrative computerized device 1500.

The illustrative computerized device 1500 also may include one or moreinterface devices 1516 such as input devices, output devices andcombination input/output devices. Interface devices 1516 may receiveinput or provide output. More particularly, output devices may renderinformation for external presentation. Input devices may acceptinformation from external sources. Examples of interface devicesinclude, among others, keyboards, bar code scanners, mouse devices,trackballs, magnetic strip readers, microphones, touch screens, printingdevices, display screens, speakers, network interface cards, etc. Theinterface devices 1516 allow the illustrative computerized device 1500to exchange information and communicate with external entities, such asusers and other systems.

Storage system 1518 may include a computer readable and writeablenonvolatile storage medium in which instructions can be stored thatdefine a program to be executed by the processor. Storage system 1518also may include information that is recorded, on or in, the medium, andthis information may be processed by the program. More specifically, theinformation may be stored in one or more data structures specificallyconfigured to conserve storage space or increase data exchangeperformance. The instructions may be persistently stored as encoded bitsor signals, and the instructions may cause a processor to perform any ofthe functions described by the encoded bits or signals. The medium may,for example, be optical disk, magnetic disk or flash memory, amongothers. In operation, processor 1510 or some other controller may causedata to be read from the nonvolatile recording medium into anothermemory, such as the memory 1512, that allows for faster access to theinformation by the processor than does the storage medium included inthe storage system 1518. The memory may be located in storage system1518 or in memory 1512. Processor 1510 may manipulate the data withinmemory 1512, and then copy the data to the medium associated with thestorage system 1518 after processing is completed. A variety ofcomponents may manage data movement between the medium and integratedcircuit memory element and does not limit the disclosure. Further, thedisclosure is not limited to a particular memory system or storagesystem.

Although the above described illustrative computerized device is shownby way of example as one type of illustrative computerized device uponwhich various aspects and functions in accord with the presentdisclosure may be practiced, aspects of the disclosure are not limitedto being implemented on the illustrative computerized device 1500 asshown in FIG. 15. Various aspects and functions in accord with thepresent disclosure may be practiced on one or more computers havingcomponents than that shown in FIG. 15. For instance, the illustrativecomputerized device 1500 may include specially-programmed,special-purpose hardware, such as for example, an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC) tailored to perform a particular operationdisclosed in this example. While another embodiment may performessentially the same function using several general-purpose computingdevices running Windows, Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, MAC OS X, or otheroperating systems on the aforementioned processors and/or specializedcomputing devices running proprietary hardware and operating systems.

The illustrative computerized device 1500 may include an operatingsystem that manages at least a portion of the hardware elements includedin illustrative computerized device 1500. A processor or controller,such as processor 1510, may execute an operating system which may be,among others, an operating system, one of the above-mentioned operatingsystems, one of many Linux-based operating system distributions, a UNIXoperating system, or another operating system that would be apparent toskilled artisans. Many other operating systems may be used, andembodiments are not limited to any particular operating system.

The processor and operating system may work together define a computingplatform for which application programs in high-level programminglanguages may be written. These component applications may beexecutable, intermediate (for example, C# or JAVA bytecode) orinterpreted code which communicate over a communication network (forexample, the Internet) using a communication protocol (for example,TCP/IP). Similarly, aspects in accord with the present disclosure may beimplemented using an object-oriented programming language, such as JAVA,C, C++, C#, Python, PHP, Visual Basic .NET, JavaScript, Perl, Ruby,Delphi/Object Pascal, Visual Basic, Objective-C, Swift, MATLAB, PL/SQL,OpenEdge ABL, R, Fortran or other languages that would be apparent toskilled artisans. Other object-oriented programming languages may alsobe used. Alternatively, assembly, procedural, scripting, or logicalprogramming languages may be used.

Additionally, various aspects and functions in accord with the presentdisclosure may be implemented in a non-programmed environment (forexample, documents created in HTML5, HTML, XML, CSS, JavaScript, orother format that, when viewed in a window of a browser program, renderaspects of a graphical-user interface or perform other functions).Further, various embodiments in accord with the present disclosure maybe implemented as programmed or non-programmed elements, or anycombination thereof. For example, a web page may be implemented usingHTML while a data object called from within the web page may be writtenin C++. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to a specific programminglanguage and any suitable programming language could also be used.

An illustrative computerized device included within an embodiment mayperform functions outside the scope of the disclosure. For instance,aspects of the system may be implemented using an existing commercialproduct, such as, for example, Database Management Systems such as a SQLServer available from Microsoft of Redmond, Wash., Oracle Database orMySQL from Oracle of Redwood City, Calif., or integration software suchas WebSphere middleware from IBM of Armonk, N.Y.

In operation, a method may be provided for tracking material stored onand drawn from a reel. Those of skill in the art will appreciate thatthe following methods are provided to illustrate an embodiment of thedisclosure and should not be viewed as limiting the disclosure to onlythose methods or aspects. Skilled artisans will appreciate additionalmethods within the scope and spirit of the disclosure for performing theoperations provided by the examples below after having the benefit ofthis disclosure. Such additional methods are intended to be included bythis disclosure.

Referring now to flowchart 1600 of FIG. 16, an illustrative method foran example operation of a material sensing operation will be described,without limitation. Starting with block 1602, the operation may begin byreading angular orientation values of a sensor including anaccelerometer, which may include X and/or Y coordinates. (Block 1604).The angular orientation values may be compared with the last readingtaken by the sensor. (Block 1606). It may then be determined at Block1610 whether a significant change in readings is detected.

If a significant change in readings is not detected in the operation ofBlock 1610, the operation may proceed to store the current X and/or Ycoordinates as the new last reading. (Block 1644). The operation maythen sleep for a period. (Block 1646). The sleep period may be definedmanually, adjusted dynamically, or be substantially automaticallyadjusted based on analyzing feedback. The operation may then return toBlock 1064 and again read the values from the sensor.

If a significant change in readings is detected in the operation ofBlock 1610, the vector direction and amplitude may be determined usingthe X and/or Y coordinates. (Block 1612). The operation may then comparevectors stored in an array of multiple elements. (Block 1614). It maythen be determined at Block 1620 whether enough vectors exist in thearray to make a decision.

If insufficient vectors are determined to exist during the operation ofBlock 1620, the current vector may be stored in an array, such as a“first in, first out” (FIFO) array of multiple numbered elements. (Block1642). The operation may then continue to Block 1644 to proceed asdiscussed above.

If sufficient vectors are determined to exist during the operation ofBlock 1620, it may then determine whether the reel is in a spinning orrolling state. (Block 1630). If it is determined at Block 1630 that thereel is in a rolling state, the operation may continue to Block 1642 toproceed as discussed above.

If it is determined at Block 1630 that the reel is spinning, theoperation may calculate the change in angular orientation since the lastX and/or Y reading. (Block 1652). An algorithm may then be used tocalculate the length of material removed from the reel based on thechange in angular orientation as the reel is spun. (Block 1654). Thecurrent reel length may then be stored to memory. (Block 1656). Theoperation may then continue to Block 1642 and proceed as discussedabove.

While various aspects have been described in the above disclosure, thedescription of this disclosure is intended to illustrate and not limitthe scope of the invention. The invention is defined by the scope of theappended claims and not the illustrations and examples provided in theabove disclosure. Skilled artisans will appreciate additional aspects ofthe invention, which may be realized in alternative embodiments, afterhaving the benefit of the above disclosure. Other aspects, advantages,embodiments, and modifications are within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. A system for tracking a length of a material wound on a reel, thematerial having a known starting length and a known thickness, the reelhaving a reel core of known width and known volume, the reel furtherhaving reel flanges physically connected to the reel at opposite ends ofthe reel core such that the reel flanges rotate with the reel core, thematerial being wound about the reel core between the reel flanges, thesystem comprising: a sensor physically attached to the reel to produce asignal indicative of one of forward and reverse rotation of the reel; afirst processor operably receiving the signal from the sensor andcounting a total number of forward rotations of the reel; a memoryoperably associated with the first processor for storing the totalnumber of forward rotations of the reel; a first battery powering theprocessor, the memory, and the sensor; a first transceiver operablycoupled to the memory; and wherein a remaining length of the materialwound on the reel is calculated based on at least the total number offorward rotations of the reel.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thefirst transceiver comprises a radio frequency transmitter.
 3. The systemof claim 2, wherein the memory stores a unique identification number,the system further comprising: a global memory operably coupled to thefirst transceiver for storing the unique identification number and aremaining length of the material wound on the reel associated with theunique identification number.
 4. The system of claim 3, furthercomprising: a clock coupled to the memory that outputs time values, thememory storing over time one or more of a total number of forwardrotations of the reel each with an associated time value.
 5. The systemof claim 4, wherein the global memory further stores one or more ofrecords comprising a respective one of the of total number of forwardrotations of the reel and the associated time value associated with theunique identification number.
 6. The system of claim 5, furthercomprising a location receiver that outputs a current geographicposition, the memory further storing the current geographic positionassociated with each of the of total number of forward rotations of thereel stored in the memory.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein each recordin the records associated with the unique identification number furthercontains the geographic position associated with the respective one ofthe of total number of forward rotations of the reel.
 8. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the sensors, first processor, clock, location receiver,and memory are disposed in association with a single circuit board. 9.The system of claim 3, further comprising a location receiver thatoutputs a current geographic position, the memory storing one or more ofthe total number of forward rotations of the reel each with anassociated geographic position.
 10. The system of claim 9, furthercomprising a global memory, wherein the global memory further stores oneor more of the records associated with the unique identification number,each of the records containing a respective one of the of total numberof forward rotations of the reel and the associated geographic position.11. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensors, first processor, andmemory are disposed in association with a single circuit board.
 12. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the sensor reads angular orientation.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the rotations of the reel are determinedusing a change in the angular orientation read by the sensor.
 14. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein the angular orientation read by the sensoris alterable by applying a correction factor.
 15. The system of claim14, wherein the correction factor is determinable by analyzing feedback.16. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer.17. A method for about continuously tracking a length of a materialwound on a reel, the material having a known starting length and a knownthickness, the reel having a reel core of known width and known volume,the reel further having reel flanges physically connected to the reel atopposite ends of the reel core such that the reel flanges rotate withthe reel core, the material being wound about the reel core between thereel flanges, the method comprising: mounting a sensor comprising anaccelerometer to the reel; operably associating the reel with abattery-powered sub-system that measures forward and backward rotationof the reel by sensing an angular orientation of the sensor and storesassociated rotation data; removably connecting a transceiver to thebattery-powered sub-system; and calculating a remaining length of thematerial wound on the reel based on a total number of rotations of thereel.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the battery-powered sub-systemfurther stores a unique identification number, the method furthercomprising: uploading the unique identification number; and storing theunique identification number and the remaining length of the materialwound on the reel associated with the unique identification number in aglobal memory.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the battery-poweredsub-system further includes a location receiver, the method furthercomprising: uploading a recorded total number of forward rotations ofthe reel with a geographic location associated therewith; and storing arecorded total number—geographic location pair in the global memory inassociation with the unique identification number.
 20. The method ofclaim 19 wherein the method further comprises: uploading anapproximately real time value associated with the recorded total numberof forward rotations of the reel; and storing the approximately realtime value with its associated recorded total number of forwardrotations of the reel in association with the unique identificationnumber.